Made in England circa 1810, this Minton porcelain dish is a masterpiece of English Regency chinoiserie.
The hand-painted scene exhibits vibrant colors, intricate details, and a playful spirit.
The dish shows three young boys playing on a seesaw. The boys display a delightful childish innocence.
Jean-Baptiste Pillement’s drawings inspired this Minton image ( for more on Pillement, see below). The last image shows an image of Pillement’s work.
The underside of the plate shows the Minton mark in underglaze blue with pattern number 539.
Dimensions: Diameter 8.25 in. x H 1.5 in.
Condition: Excellent
For more information on the Chinese Sports Series, see Loren Zeller’s article “Jean-Baptiste Pillement’s Recueil de Plusieurs Jeux d’Enfants Chinois: A Review of the Artist’s Work as Source for 18th and 19th Century Ceramic Designs” in the Northern Ceramic Society Journal, Volume 32, June 20
Jean-Baptiste Pillement was a French painter and designer known for his exquisite and delicate drawings and the engravings done after his drawings. The drawings influenced the spread of the Rococo style, particularly the taste for chinoiserie throughout Europe. For an image of an item from this Minton pattern made 1805-1810, see The Dictionary of Minton by P Atterbury & M Batkin, pg 19.
Also see English Ceramics Circle Transactions Vol 33 2023: Loren Zeller, Tracing the Source of Chinoiserie Design in 18th- and 19th-Century Ceramics.